Slither smirked, his men moving closer. “You know, some nights when I can’t sleep, I can still hear her screams. Her pleas. The way she begged for us to stop. I’ll tell you, I’ve never enjoyed jerking off as much as I do when I think of her blood coating my cock.”
Ink roared, and by the time Dutch and I reacted, it was too late. Ink launched at Slither, a balled fist in the air, and then the crack of bone against bone.
Chaos erupted, the sounds of grunts and curses becoming the prelude of guaranteed carnage. Ink’s face was that of pure hatred, rage, an all-consuming frenzy of a need to spill blood. The man was unstoppable as he hit Slither one punch after the other, a scream ripping from his throat.
While Dutch tried to pull Ink off Slither, I reached for my gun, placing my finger on the trigger. But there was no way I’d be able to aim and shoot without risking one of our guys. Not even I was that good a shot.
Granite tried to reach for Ink, but some motherfucker came from the side and went straight for him. With my gun in hand, I reacted and launched forward, planting the back of my gun right in the guy’s face, and he stumbled back.
Two more men rushed toward us, but I was ready and ducked when one of them swung his fist, aiming for my face. As I came back up, I knocked the fucker out by connecting my fist with his jaw from below, his neck craning back as he fell.
Everything was happening so damn fast, there was no time to think. Taking a split second to breathe, I turned just in time to see Slither punch Ink in the gut, followed by an uppercut to the jaw. Blood was already pissing from his nose, the sides of his mouth.
Suddenly, all I heard was my own heartbeat, flashbacks of the night my father died piercing through my mind like poisonous darts. For a split second, I was transported to that moment—the moment my dad fell to the ground, blood pooling around him.
I’d seen men die before, but nothing I’d ever witnessed came close to that image, witnessing the life drain from my father’s body. Watching someone I cared about, someone I loved, take his last breath. The pain smothered the bloodlust. The heartache crucified the hate I felt for the Pythons. All that mattered right then was that I would lose my dad. And as he closed his eyes for the last time, I vowed vengeance and swore I would never allow anyone else I cared about die at the hands of the fucking Pythons.
That was a promise I intended to keep.
I lifted my hand, placed my finger on the trigger, and the gunshot cracked through the air. The echo of the shot was replaced with utter and complete silence, all the men who tried to kill each other mere moments ago frozen and silent.
I clenched my jaw, biting my tongue as I glared from one face to the other. “The day will come when we kill each other, but today is not that day.”
“Fuck that.” Ink spat out a mouthful of blood. “I’m ready to massacre these motherfucking reptiles, right here, right now,” he yelled.
Slither snarled, his split tongue grazing against his top teeth. “Bring it.”
“No!” Granite snapped then stepped in next to me, a smear of blood painted across his eyebrow. “Onyx is right. This is not the time or the place. Cops will be here any second.”
Slither grunted before spitting on the ground. “Your man started it.” He shot Ink a warning glare, and Ink growled at him like a starved animal. “Seems like your SAA here has a soft spot for the pixie.”
“Don’t you fucking talk about her,” Ink warned, yanking forward, but Manic jumped in front of him, keeping him back.
“Everyone calm the fuck down,” Granite’s voice boomed through the night.
I walked over to Ink and grabbed his elbow, pulling him close. “Calm down, man,” I muttered with my back turned to the Pythons. “I know how much you want this, but when it comes to revenge, timing is everything. And today. Is not. That. Time. Feel me?”
Ink still bared his teeth, never taking his eyes off the man he hated the most. I could practically feel the flames of hell burning through his flesh. “Go back to the cage and calm down.”
I let go of Ink’s arm, and Dutch gave me a knowing nod. Ink stepped to the side, his stare of death never leaving Slither. “One day, man. One day I will make you look me in the eye while I carve out your goddamn spleen.”
Slither smirked. “I can’t wait.”
The wild look in Ink’s eyes screamed all sorts of crazy. The man was shaking, sheer adrenaline fueling his anger and need to make Slither pay for what they did to Neon. I didn’t blame him. We all felt that way. But today was not that day, no matter how much we wished it was.
Slither wiped at the blood in the corner of his mouth, snorting when he saw the crimson smear on the top of his hand. “How is she doing, by the way? The pixie girl with the screams of an angel?”
“Don’t,” I warned, lifting my gun and aiming at his head. In an instant, Granite and I had six other guns in our faces.
Time stood still. No one even breathed as death hung over us like the veil of hell. If I had to pull the trigger, Slither would be dead by the time his crew got to shooting us. It would be worth it, though, that split second of watching my bullet cracking his skull wide open. If it was just me, I’d do it. But Granite was here too, and no matter how much I wanted to see Slither dead, his existence erased from this world, my need to protect my brother was stronger.
I tightened my jaw, taking one more second to imagine what it would feel like to kill him, before I lowered my gun.
Slither’s face pulled up as he smiled. “Seems like I’ve underestimated you, Onyx. Here I thought your older brother was the only one with balls in your crew.”
“Shut up, Slither.” Granite stepped up, his presence as heavy as a goddamn wrecking ball. “Like my brother said, the day will come when this war ends between us. But it’s not today.”
Slither’s freaky-ass eyes cut to Granite. “Remember our deal, good man. Don’t fuck with my business.”